


Truth

by velocitygrass



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Missions, Rivalry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-04-07
Updated: 2009-04-07
Packaged: 2018-12-11 10:58:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11712996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velocitygrass/pseuds/velocitygrass
Summary: Rodney has a rather insistent admirer, so John pretends he is his boyfriend.





	Truth

**Author's Note:**

> Written for McSheplets challenge #42: Pretending

When Sheppard first told his admirer that Rodney was already taken—by _him_ —Rodney had wanted to protest that he could take care of himself and tell them the truth. But Sheppard's threatening glare had been amazingly effective when everything else wasn't, so Rodney thought this might actually be a better idea than trying to explain that he'd just gone through a break-up and just wasn't interested in such a kind of distraction and definitely did not look for something more. Also, he was both amused and intrigued by John volunteering to play his boyfriend.

Then in the lab, when left out of sight of Sheppard, his admirer had forgotten all sense of personal space, and Rodney was about to remind her that he _had_ a boyfriend when John materialized behind them. Rodney's admirer gave him a bit more space after that, and when John left again, he gave her another threatening glare—and quickly kissed Rodney on the cheek. Rodney managed not to splutter although he feared he got a little red in the face. But it seemed to work. She kept her distance for the rest of the time in the lab.

Later at the party though, when John discussed the possible exchange of weapons technology, she was back at his side on a sofa, moving up close until Rodney was pressed into the arm rest. "Listen," he began, but then John was there again, squeezing himself between Rodney and his admirer, pushing her away in the process. He talked about the weapons trade with a smile on his face, and Rodney wasn't sure how he did it while somehow implying with every word that he'd use these weapons against her if she didn't keep her hands off Rodney. Then Rodney didn't think about her anymore because the hand that John had casually placed on his knee started moving up and he realized he was about to react to that in a very visible way.

John was called away, though, and Rodney was kind of relieved. His admirer kept her distance, but she looked at him almost pitifully. "Is this really what you want? Letting yourself be used in exchange for protection?"

Rodney froze. The red in his face didn't come from embarrassment this time but from anger. What she was saying was insulting on so many levels he couldn't even begin to tell her how wrong she was. But she definitely needed to be told. Or shown.

"John?" he called over to him.

John came and sat down between them again. He put an arm around Rodney. Rodney turned to him and after just a moment of hesitation took John's face in his hands and pulled him into a kiss. He wanted to make it a quick smacker to show that he was not "letting himself be used", but John didn't let up and kissed back, and Rodney's hold on his face softened, and when John's hand found his hair in an intimate caress, Rodney began to feel that tingling that accompanied great kisses with just the right person.

Their mouths opened up as they deepened the kiss, and Rodney was glad they were already sitting. He let himself fall back, literally and figuratively, feeling John above him, kissing him and stroking his head and his arm and... wow, the skin on his side under his shirt. Rodney agreed that it was a brilliant idea and slipped his own hand under John's shirt when he heard someone clearing his throat very loudly.

They managed to tear themselves away from each other and looked at Teyla.

"Their relationship is very recent," she explained to the group of people staring at them. "I assure you, this is not the way they usually conduct themselves," she added with a pointed look at them.

"Right," Rodney said weakly.

John got up, giving him another heated look full of promise.

Rodney was really grateful that he hadn't told them the truth when he wanted to. And as it turned out, they had told the truth anyway.


End file.
